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Olympic Park site for AFL ground-breaker

04 Nov, 2009 03:29 PM
SOME of Australia's best footballers will be town for the first national premier AFL game at Blacktown Olympic Park next year.

Adam Goodes, Daniel Bradshaw and Chris Judd are expected to pack the Rooty venue to its 10,000 crowd capacity when the Sydney Swans take on Carlton in round one of pre-season NAB Cup on February 20.

The game will be played under lights and broadcast on Channel 10.

A second NAB Cup game may be played at Blacktown if the Swans make the semi-finals.

The grand final is on March 13.

The venue will be home to the proposed Team Greater Western Sydney (GWS), which is expected to kick-off in 2012.

``This will be the first time the home of Team GWS will host elite level football,'' AFL NSW/ACT AFL general manager Dale Holmes said.

``This is a terrific way to bring the elite AFL to the west of Sydney. Hosting the NAB Cup at the Blacktown Olympic Park lets us showcase the venue at the highest level.''

Blacktown Mayor Charlie Lowles said the match will bring sporting and recreational benefits.

``This is a wonderful opportunity for the people of Blacktown City and western Sydney to experience a premier AFL game in their backyard,'' Cr Lowles said.

``It also provides the council and the Blacktown City community the opportunity to showcase their new state-of-the art AFL/Cricket precinct at Blacktown Olympic Park, particularly as the game is being televised.

``Blacktown City is fast becoming the home of sport in western Sydney and hosting the Swans versus Carlton game is sure to get people excited about the greater Western Sydney AFL team joining the premiership in 2012.''

The move to western Sydney follows the success when the Swans played Western Bulldogs at a trial clash at Rouse Hill earlier this year.

``Last year's sell-out crowd between Sydney Swans and Western Bulldogs at Rouse Hill gives us confidence that we will attract a good crowd first up at Blacktown Olympic Park we will ensure that the event is attractive to young families with a range of entertainment for all ages,'' Holmes said.

Swans CEO Andrew Ireland added:

``Without a facility like this, our club would have had to again play many of the NAB series matches away from home which is far from ideal.''

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Guess who's coming to town?:  The Sydney Swans will play at Blacktown Olympic Park early next year following the great success of their trial played at Rouse Hill.  Picture: Simon Bennett
Guess who's coming to town?: The Sydney Swans will play at Blacktown Olympic Park early next year following the great success of their trial played at Rouse Hill. Picture: Simon Bennett

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